For the Honest Seeker 1

If you're reading this, you are probably what I would call a "seeker." Perhaps you were raised as a Christian, but you are having doubts. You have questions. Maybe the answers you are getting ring hollow. Perhaps they seem like the easy responses people give when they aren't really looking for real answers. You may be thinking, "They don't even get the question."

Alternatively, perhaps something is drawing you to look into the Christian faith more. Maybe you come as an outsider. You are intrigued but still skeptical. Perhaps you have never given it much thought or have been dismissive. But you are curious. You are investigating further.

This book is for the honest seeker. It's not looking for pat answers or dodging hard questions. If your faith feels settled or uncomplicated, this book may not be for you. It might introduce questions you've never considered. This is a book for those with hard questions looking for honest dialogue about them. 

I've come to see three basic approaches to this sort of quest for faith. On one end of the spectrum are those who think the answers are pretty obvious. This is the crusader, the apologist, the person who thinks the "evidence demands a verdict" in a fairly straightforward way. Often, this person likes to debate to win -- maybe even more than to have deep understanding.

My guess is that, if you're reading this book, the answers this approach gives have not been entirely satisfying. Maybe it feels like they are mostly speaking to the already convinced. In this book, we'll give some of their answers, but we'll look at them as honestly as possible, recognizing that some of them may make more sense to you than others.

On the other end of the spectrum are those who think these questions are pointless and possibly counterproductive. These are the "blind faith" people. They might think that faith is a gift that makes no sense -- either you have the gift or you don't.

You're probably not one of those people either. If you were, you wouldn't be looking for answers. This approach doesn't look for answers. It speaks of taking a "leap of faith" that doesn't necessarily make sense.

No, this book is for those of you who think faith should generally make sense, but recognize that the questions aren't always easy. On some issues, the answers may seem relatively easy. On others, we may have to resort to a leap of faith. On still other questions, you may want to dig deeper for answers that make sense to you but are troubling to others.

Our motto in this book is "faith seeking understanding." Either "I want to believe; help my unbelief" or "I'm open to faith, but I cannot see it clearly." Perhaps you will resonate with a poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson: "There lives more faith in honest doubt, Believe me, than in half the creeds."

Some doubt too much. Others don't doubt enough. Let our quest for faith begin.